Mosque near ground zero and the tale of one Republican who backs it

An Indiana mayor, whose city helped the NYFD rebuild after 9/11, is one Republican who has no issues with plans for the mosque near ground zero.

David Goldman/AP

Bette Cassaro, left, of Woodside, N.Y., protects Mohammad Abdul Awal, right, of Queens, N.Y., from the passing foot traffic as he prays during a rally in support of a proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York, Sept. 11.

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September 14, 2010

By Ron SchererStaff writer

New York

Many Republican officials have come out against the proposed Islamic center a few blocks from ground zero.

While Carmel is a long way from New York and ground zero, the city, which is outside of Indianapolis, has a connection.

After 9/11, New York’s fire department was decimated by the losses at the World Trade Center. So Carmel, at its own expense, sent its senior fire department trainers to New York to help the NYFD quickly train new recruits to help keep the city safe.

The next year, New York sent a group of firefighters to Carmel to thank the city for its effort, says Mayor Brainard.

Brainard, who was involved in the decision to help New York, knows the World Trade Center site and some of the firefighters who worked in the days and weeks to try to recover victims' remains. He has no issues with the proposed Cordoba Initiative.

“This country was built on the premise of freedom of religion,” says Brainard, who was passing through New York on his way to speak at a conference in Qatar, a Middle East emirate. “We are a smarter people than to blame a radical act of terrorism on an entire religion.”